Chisel barge with shock absorbing system for mast

Abstract

A chisel barge having an elongated hull floatable on a body of water with positioning means thereon maintaining the position of the hull in a generally fixed location while in a floating condition spaced from land. Bracket structure is provided on the hull, which bracket construction has an opening therethrough, the axis of which is inclined to the horizontal. Structure for pivotally supporting the bracket structure is provided on the hull to enable the bracket structure to pivot about a generally horizontal axis. An upstanding mast is mounted on the bracket structure and is tiltably movable therewith about the aforesaid generally horizontal axis. A chisel having a tool-like structure located at the lower end thereof is vertically movably mounted on the mast and through the opening. A control circuit is provided for effecting a hoisting of the chisel to a raised position on the mast spaced from the bottom of the aforesaid body of water and for effecting a free fall of the chisel to a lowered position to impact and effect a working of the bottom of the aforesaid body of water.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows: 
     
       1. A chisel barge, comprising: means defining an elongated hull floatable on a body of water;   position maintaining means maintaining the position of said hull means in a generally fixed location while in a floating condition spaced from land;   bracket means mounted on said hull, said bracket means having an opening therethrough, the axis of which is inclined to the horizontal;   pivot means pivotally supporting said bracket means on said hull for movement about a generally horizontal axis;   upstanding mast means mounted on said bracket means and tiltably movable therewith about said generally horizontal axis;   chisel means with tool means located at the lower end thereof vertically movably mounted on said mast means and in said opening; and   control means for (1) effecting a hoisting of said chisel means to a raised position on said mast means spaced from the bottom of said body of water and (2) effecting a free fall of said chisel means to a lowered position impacting and effecting a working of the bottom of said body of water, said control means including shock absorbing means for normally maintaining said mast in an upright position and for effecting an absorption of any shock load generated by said chisel means that would cause a movement of said mast about said generally horizontal axis, said shock absorbing means further including a hydraulic cylinder having a reciprocal piston mounted therein, the opposite ends of said cylinder including coupling means hydraulically coupling said ends to separate accumulator means, each accumulator means having a movable partition means with a compressible gas on one said thereof and hydraulic fluid on the other side, said hydraulic fluid being coupled through said coupling means to the interior of said cylinder.   
     
     
       2. The chisel barge according to claim 1, wherein said generally horizontal axis of said pivot means intersects the axis of said opening in said bracket. 
     
     
       3. The chisel barge according to claim 2, wherein said mast means is positioned aft of said generally horizontal axis of said pivot means. 
     
     
       4. The chisel barge according to claim 1, wherein said mast means includes a further bracket means thereon intermediate the length thereof and having an opening therethrough, the axis of which is axially aligned with said opening in said first mentioned bracket means. 
     
     
       5. The chisel barge according to claim 4, wherein said chisel means includes at least one chisel comprising an elongated hollow cylinder with said tool means located at said lower end thereof, said hollow cylinder being guided by said openings in said bracket means and said further bracket means. 
     
     
       6. The chisel barge according to claim 5, wherein said elongated hollow cylinder is adapted to receive ballast therein for purposes of increasing the weight of said chisel. 
     
     
       7. The chisel barge according to claim 1, wherein said upstanding mast means and said chisel means are located at one end of said hull; wherein said positioning maintaining means includes at least one elongated spud located at the other end of said hull and being supported on and adapted to extend downwardly from said hull into engagement with the bottom of said body of water, said hull being pivotal in said body of water about the axis of said spud when engaged with said bottom; and   wherein said position maintaining means further includes an anchor on both the port and starboard sides of said hull adjacent said one end and anchor control means therefor to effect a controlled pivoting of said hull about said axis of said spud by controlling the relative closeness of said hull to a selected one of said anchors.   
     
     
       8. The chisel barge according to claim 7, wherein said positioning maintaining means includes a plural number of said spuds to thereby define plural axes about which said hull can pivot. 
     
     
       9. The chisel barge according to claim 8, wherein said plural number of said spuds is two. 
     
     
       10. The chisel barge according to claim 1, wherein one of said mast means and said bracket means includes gate means for facilitating access to the entire length of said chisel means from a side of said hull and a removal of said chisel means from said hull in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis thereof.